Gopana (c. 14th century CE) was an army officer and a
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
poet who composed ''Sindhumati Vilasamu'', the first Telugu literary work of the Southern school. Gopana was also one of the important generals in the army of the
Vijayanagara prince
Kumara Kampana II and played a leading role in the conquest of the
Madurai Sultanate.
Gopana who was the General of
Kumara Kampana II, the son of
Bukka Raya
Bukka Raya I (reigned 1356–1377 CE) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty.Phrof A V Narasimha MurthyRare Royal Brothers: Hakka and Bukka He was a son of Bhavana Sangama(Unofficial).
Background
The early life of Bu ...
the founder of
Vijayanagara empire credited to sweep the country clear of Islamic invaders, killed the Muslim governor at Madurai, restored the temple of
Srirangam to its former condition. The idol of
Ranganatha was restored to its own home.
Personal life
Gopana was born in an Arvela
Niyogi
Niyogi Brahmin is a Telugu Brahmin subcaste native to the Indian States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, but are spread throughout South India and Maharashtra. The traditional occupations of the Niyogi Brahmins are settled cultivation and pr ...
Brahmin family
and belonged to the Bharadwaja gotra. His father was one Narasanamatya.
Military career
Gopana joined the service of the Vijayanagara Empire at an early age and was one of the leading commanders in Kumara Kampana's 1371 expedition against the Madurai Sultanate which resulted in the successful conquest of
Srirangam and restoration of the
Ranganathaswamy Temple to its former glory. Gopana marching of srirangam at the head of large army destroyed the Muslim forces who replaced the three images in their shrine at Srirangam, after re- consecrating the god and his two consorts.
The Writing on the Wall: The Śrīrangam and Kāñcī Inscriptions
Second inscription-
Literary works
Gopana's only literary work of merit is the ''Sindhumati Vilasamu'', a poem in Telugu. It relates the love affair between Jaya and Sindhumathi in Madurai. The poem consists of a total of two cantos and has a lot of
Sanskrit shlokas interspersed in between.
Religious affiliation
Gopana was an ardent devotee of Venkateswara and attributed his literary prowess to Venkateswara's grace. During his expedition into the Tamil country, Gopana came under the influence of
Vedanta Desika and became a follower of
visishtadvaita
Vishishtadvaita ( IAST '; sa, विशिष्टाद्वैत) is one of the most popular schools of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Vedanta literally means the in depth meaning ''of the Vedas.'' ''Vishisht Advaita'' (literal ...
Notes
Sources
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Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
Telugu poets
14th-century Indian poets
Indian male poets
14th-century soldiers
Vijayanagara generals
Indian warriors